Attack shocks cricketers

Indian and Kiwi cricketing stars are shocked and saddened as they weigh up the impact of the terror attack in Pakistan that injured friends in the Sri Lankan team.

"More or less all of them are good friends. It's very sad what has happened," said Indian batting ace Sachin Tendulkar as he arrived in Wellington yesterday to prepare for tomorrow's one-dayer against New Zealand.

Six Sri Lankan players were injured and eight other people were killed when gunmen with rocket launchers and grenades ambushed the team bus and other vehicles in a convoy near the test cricket ground in Lahore.

The attack has placed future tours to Pakistan in doubt.

The Indian team were relaxed as they boarded their bus yesterday and there was no sign of the extra security requested by team management.

Extra precautions are being taken for the Westpac Stadium game. These were signalled after a bottle-throwing incident at the stadium during a Twenty20 game last Friday.

Officials would not say what additional measures were being taken to protect the team.

Tendulkar told The Dominion Post the attacks were "very unfortunate". But he had no qualms about returning to the subcontinent: "I'll always feel safe in my homeland."

Spinner Harbhajan Singh said he had texted friends in the Sri Lankan team. "They've all said they are fine."

The Indian team felt safe in New Zealand. "It is probably the safest place to tour and play cricket in the world."

Members of the Black Caps squad seemed more unsettled by the attack.

New Zealand bowler Ian Butler, who witnessed terrible scenes in Karachi after a 2002 bus bombing outside the team hotel, said the attacks brought back unwelcome memories.

Allrounder Jacob Oram said news of the ambush, which came during Tuesday night's one-dayer in Napier, made it hard to focus on the match.

Last year's Mumbai attacks and yesterday's incident meant he was now thinking twice about heading to the subcontinent, where he has a lucrative Indian Premier League contract.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said it seemed unlikely a tour of Pakistan planned for November would go ahead.